National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats warned the risk of war is greater than any time since the Cold War

US intelligence officials have warned new technologies and the risk of war is putting us all at greater risk than any time since the Cold War.

In an opening statement to US Congress, National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats said: “The risk of interstate conflict, including among great powers, is higher than at any time since the end of the Cold War.

“We are facing increased global disorder, characterised by decline in the longstanding rules-based international order — creating a security environment more complex and volatile than any we have experienced in recent memory.

So what exactly do we need to prepare for?

Crimes in Cyberspace

Cybercrime remains the most pressing concern for Western liberal democracies, according to intelligence officials.

They cited Russia, China, Iran and North Korea — as well as militant groups in the Middle East — as threats to global security.

In his opening statement, Mr Coats warned the US is “under attack” by “entities using cyber to penetrate virtually every major action that takes place in the US”.

Donald Trump issued a national security strategy document in December deeming cybersecurity a top priority.

Cybercrime is said to pose the most pressing concern to Western democracies

Tom Uren, a cybersecurity expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said there are two main kinds of cyberattack currently present — those targeting individuals, and those targeting the state.

“There are criminals, usually in places like Eastern Europe or Indonesia, or countries where law enforcement isn’t as effective ... they’ll employ all sorts of ransomware, straight-up fraud, blackmail and sometimes credential threats to steal your money,” he told news.com.au.

He said banks and other corporations would also come under victims of this category.

But it’s the second kind that’s posing a specific threat to global security.

“There’s a whole heap of states involved in cyber-espionage — the big ones being China, Russia and Iran. This is a different class of threat. They’re more concerned with getting information on advancing the national interest, and it tends not to affect the individual.”

He also warned that any person or company in possession of a large amount of data could be a target of either form.

“We expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social media, false-flag personas, sympathetic spokespeople and other means of influence to try to exacerbate social and political fissures in the United States,” said Mr Coats.

Mr Uren said: “Russian influence in the US has been very aggressive and invasive. They’re seeking to influence operations, and change the way the American political process works. It’s hard to see that coercive influence being exerted here.

“But of course geopolitics is very fluid, so it’s one of those things we have to be aware of.

“It’s still unknown whether they’ll actually take place here. It would be a game of cat-and-mouse, where attackers use one particular technique and we’d probably come up with some sort of countermeasure. That’s just the way social media is — there’s so many ways it can be abused.”

Nuclear Weapons

Mr Coats warned time is running out for the United States to act on North Korea’s nuclear threats.

He said North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction present “a potentially existential” threat to the US and its allies and is likely to conduct more weapons tests this year.

“North Korea continues to pose an ever more increasing threat to the United States and its interests,” Mr Coats said.

“We expect to see North Korea press ahead with additional missile tests this year and its foreign minister has threatened an atmospheric nuclear test over the Pacific.

“Pyongyang is committed to fielding a long-range nuclear armed missile capable of posing a direct threat to the United States and modest improvements in North Korea’s conventional capabilities will continue to pose an ever-greater threat to South Korea, Japan as well as US targets in those countries.”

Despite easing tensions on the Korean peninsular during the Winter Olympics, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said there was “no indication there’s any strategic change” in North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s desire to remain a nuclear threat.

In Mr Uren’s opinion, the threat of nuclear weapons is the most concerning of the issues raised in the hearing. While the probability of a nuclear strike isn’t likely at this stage, he said the impact on the world economy would be devastating.

Militant terror groups

Mr Coats said terrorism continues to be a major global threat, including homegrown terrorism.

Islamic State has been ousted from heartlands such as Raqqa, Syria (pictured) but its influence remains a threat

“US-based homegrown violent extremist terrorism, including inspired and self-radical individuals, represent the primary and most difficult to detect Sunni terrorism threat in the United States,” he said.

Islamic State militants have lost significant ground in Iraq and Syria, but Mr Coats said they “remain a threat” and will most likely attempt to regroup.